


Journey's End

by thesockmonster



Category: EXO (Band), Korean Actor RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-28
Updated: 2017-09-28
Packaged: 2019-01-06 09:02:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12208056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesockmonster/pseuds/thesockmonster
Summary: An Alpha needs a mate, and Hyeran will only have Baekhyun.





	Journey's End

**Author's Note:**

  * For [daestruct](https://archiveofourown.org/users/daestruct/gifts).



> This is for my EB because she is always encouraging me, especially when it's something crazy. She also looked this over for me so it's not riddled with mistakes. Thank you EB!!

Hyeran rolls her shoulders, standing to her full height as a gust of wind sends shivers over her skin. She’s well covered for the weather - thick pelts made into pants and a top that wraps around her chest to help keep out the harsh winter winds. There’s also a pelt around her shoulders she uses as a pack to carry her clothing in when she shifts into her wolf.

The snow is heavy on the ground, higher than they’d predicted. Hyeran is unaccustomed to the snow, unfamiliar with exposure to these low temperatures. So is her pack. The two who accompanied her on this trek aren’t faring as well as she is, but she can’t afford to show weakness. She’s their Alpha and she will be strong for them.

They can’t be far from their destination. She recognizes the rock formations higher up the mountain. They weren’t covered in snow the last time she came this way, and even if it was many seasons ago, her memory has never failed her. Her pause has given Chanyeol and Jongin time to catch up. They flank her, Chanyeol looking better than Jongin. Chanyeol has always run warm, but Jongin not as much.

Hyeran would love to stop and build a fire, not only to warm Jongin, but to bring the feeling back to her fingers too. But it’s better for all of them if they keep moving. If this snowstorm continues, it could make the rest of their journey far more difficult, if not impossible.

When she moves, they move with her. Her boots are soaked through, ill-made for the snow. She trudges on anyway, her trusted betas at her back. She has confidence they can make it to their ally pack’s camp before dark, but only if they keep moving.

The winds are growing sharper; she doesn’t know if it’s because they’re higher on the mountainside or if the storm is worsening. She reaches back almost instinctively. Jongin and Chanyeol each take a hand, fingers linking as they trudge through piling snow and buffeting winds. They are her strength and she is theirs.

As the sun begins dipping low in the horizon, Hyeran gives in and decides it’s best to find a cave for the evening. They can barely see in front of their noses, and she doesn’t want to unnecessarily put them at risk. She’s about to tell Chanyeol and Jongin just that when a howl pierces through the whipping of the wind.

The three of them freeze. Chanyeol takes up a position in front of Hyeran as Jongin turns to protect her back. It’s a precautionary measure in case whoever coming toward them isn’t friendly. When the figures that come into view are familiar, Hyeran rests a hand on Chanyeol’s arm to ease him away.

She can’t feel herself smiling, but when the largest of the two wolves raises to human feet, he’s smiling at her too.

“We were searching for you,” Yixing says, stepping forward to greet Hyeran, Alpha to Alpha. “We saw your approach earlier in the day.” Their foreheads press together, hands on each other’s shoulders. “I had hoped to find you before the storm did.” Yixing turns to his companion. “Signal the rest to head back to camp.”

The wolf rushes off, loosing a howl in air as he goes. Yixing shifts back to his wolf, leading Hyeran and her companions to the camp. The pair finally break from their protection pattern and walk side-by-side, hands together. Chanyeol has put his own extra pelt over Jongin’s shoulders and has taken Jongin’s supply pack along with his own.

Hyeran slips her arm around Jongin’s waist and he smiles at her, nudging his head to the top of hers as they walk. She helps keep the two of them moving even when her joints feel stiff, like she’s trying to walk under water instead of through snow. She just wants to stop, to sit until her energy returns. Knowing what waits for her at the end of this journey is why she keeps moving.

Yixing leads them up and up until they’re breaking off the path. Hyeran remembers this place, and is still taken aback by the beauty of the flat expanse spread before her. This mountain used to be two peaks, but one was shorn off long ago and it’s now where Yixing and his pack have set up a permanent home. The entire place is covered in snow that glistens beneath the light of the many fires spread over the surface. The flickering flames are a stark contrast to the peace of the snow, bringing life to the serenity.

The only people she sees are the ones tending to the fires. She follows in Yixing’s footsteps as they walk into the camp. Relief comes when she feels the heat of a fire on her hands. Jongin and Chanyeol move to the fire next to hers, huddled together as someone runs over to take their packs. Hyeran gives them a smile they return before turning to the fire, crouching as Chanyeol rubs his hands up and down Jongin’s arms.

She really owes them for this. She’d told them she could do this alone, but they’d insisted on accompanying her. She’s thankful for it. And they did have a point: the Alpha of a pack shouldn’t travel alone. She was able to put the rest of her pack at ease when she assured them she’d have Chanyeol and Jongin with her.

Hyeran misses her pack. She stares into the flames in front of her, hands held out, and in the crackling oranges and yellows, she thinks about her pack. There’s a feeling of emptiness that comes with being so far from them. The connection that holds her to them is pulled tight. It won’t break - not while she’s alive - but it’s strained and she aches.

She sniffles and breathes out a puff of white that is carried away on the wind. The wind’s not so bad here, but it still whistles around them, unrelenting. Perhaps if she wasn’t so tired, wasn’t so anxious, she could better appreciate where she is. When she turns to check on Chanyeol and Jongin, she finds them gone. She stumbles away from the fire and toward their line of footprints, only to be stopped after a few paces.

Yixing catches up to her, not touching her, but stepping in front of her to stop her progress. “They were shown a tent where they could strip out of their wet clothes,” he tells her. He points to a tent near to them, smoke from a small fire spilling through a hole in the roof. “The tent next to it is for you,” he further explains.

“Thank you,” she tells him, feeling a little silly at being so afraid when she’s in friendly company. Yixing has always been a good man, a good Alpha. She’d looked up to him when she was a girl, hoping to be half the Alpha he is. Her own father wasn’t even that much of an Alpha.

She allows Yixing to lead her to the tent. He opens the flap and warmth floods from inside. She’s quick to chase it, Yixing following and allowing the flap to close behind him. There is a fire in the center, a circle of stones around it to keep it contained. It’s not large, but it fills the space with heat. A pile of furs and pelts are spread near to it and Hyeran wants so much to collapse on them. But there’s something more important.

She turns to Yixing, swallowing over the nerves now crawling up her throat. “Is he here?” she inquires, a bit breathless.

Yixing shakes his head. “His party was sent to hunt four days ago. They should be back soon.”

Hyeran nods at him, the disappointment pulling her shoulders down. She shouldn’t show weakness, especially to another Alpha, but Yixing won’t judge her for it.

“Soon, Hyeran,” Yixing says, the strength of a promise in his words. “You should rest. I will have food brought for you.”

“Thank you,” she murmurs, giving Yixing a weak smile, “for everything.”

Yixing makes his way out, letting a gust of cold air in with his exit. Hyeran shivers. She pulls at the knot on her pelt, letting it fall from her shoulders. Her boots come off next, her toes wet and wrinkled from having been in them for so long. She carefully sits on the edge of the furs, spreading her toes toward the heat of the fire. It almost hurts, and she scrunches her nose as she carefully wiggles herself free of her pants without standing. They’re soaked from the knees down. They get tossed atop her boots.

Hyeran falls back, pulling one of the furs over her legs. It scratches over her thighs, but the heat is worth it. She stares at the roof of the tent. Snowflakes drift down through the hole but turn to mist before they reach the bottom. She can’t see the stars through the cloud cover.

It isn’t long before someone is calling her name, entering when she answers. He leaves food for her, along with a set of new, warmer clothing. She thanks him, waiting for the boy to leave before she crawls over to the food, famished. She was too tired to give thought to her hunger before, but it was her own fault for skipping lunch in the hopes of making it here before nightfall.

She chews lazily, not tasting any of it. Her exhaustion is bone deep and there’s a tingling in her limbs as her body warms. Her head feels too heavy and she soon pushes the food away, draping herself on the furs. She pulls a second one over her to join the first after shrugging out of her shirt. The fire is too bright. She rolls to face away from it, letting her tired eyes finally close.

Hyeran doesn’t immediately fall asleep. She wants to, but her emotions keep her from it.

When she was a girl, trailing after the hunters in her pack to mimic their movements, there was always another at her side. He never mocked her for wanting to be a hunter, never doubted her even when others did. Hyeran’s own father didn’t think she had the strength to fight, the strength to lead a pack, but she’d proven him wrong.

In the end, the victory was bitter.

Hyeran’s mind lingers on memories of her most treasured friend, the one who had stayed at her side through thick and thin. He was awful about getting them into trouble, but also skilled at getting them out. She should have known he would always have a hold over her.

When her father sent him away, angry when they came to him to ask if they could be mated, Hyeran had tried to fight it. She hadn’t been strong enough then. It took months of training, months of waking before the sun to hunt the most dangerous animals, dragging their bodies to camp just as the other hunters were waking. She never lost her focus, determined to gain the strength she needed to be the Alpha, to get her Baekhyun back.

When Yixing’s pack had come to trade, he’d pulled Hyeran aside to tell her that Baekhyun had come to them and he was safe. She knew then that she would prevail. And she did. It was only weeks later when she challenged her Alpha. He’d laughed at her, but only until she swept his legs from under him. The pack had watched and Hyeran drew strength from them, finally delivering the blow that knocked her father and Alpha to the ground and kept him there. It’s the first time he said he was proud of her. They were empty words with no meaning for her.

Now Hyeran is here, coming to find Baekhyun. An Alpha needs a mate, and she will only have Baekhyun.

Sleep lingers in her senses and it takes a while for it to pull her under. She feels leaden, too warm, but even as sweat prickles along her neck, the exhaustion finally proves too much. Hyeran falls asleep hoping she will see Baekhyun soon.

 

Hyeran shivers, groaning softly as she slowly begins to wake. Her sleep was too heavy for dreams. She’s managed to kick one of the furs off, a sudden gust cool air waking her. She rolls onto her back, finally blinking her eyes open. She sees darkness above her still, and the fire has burned low, but hasn’t gone out.

It’s when she leans up on her elbows that she sees him. Hyeran’s breath catches in her throat.

Baekhyun is crouched at the end of her pallet, flames reflected in his eyes and his stance predatory. Hyeran stares at him, unable to move. He looks so much the same, but also different. His hair is longer, falling over his shoulders. He isn’t wearing a shirt and where there used to be softness is now carved muscle. She drinks in his form, unable to keep her wolf from surfacing to proclaim their happiness. Her vision goes red, fuzzing around the edges before she pushes it down.

Baekhyun eyes flash red too, his lips parting. “Hyeran,” he breathes.

The force keeping Hyeran from moving snaps. She’s on her knees in an instant and Baekhyun meets her halfway, his arms wrapped so tight around her as he pushes his face to her hair. She clings to him, fingers digging into his back as if she’s scared he’s going to leave. She breathes him in, letting the scent of him fill her lungs.

Baekhyun’s nose skims over her cheek, bumping into her own as his mouth seeks her’s. Hyeran whimpers from the force of his kiss, returning it with equal fervor. Her lips part as his hand slides along her jaw, tilting her head. She kisses him desperately, afraid that if she pulls away it will all have been a dream.

Baekhyun’s teeth nip at her lips, tease her before he leans away just enough to speak. His lips brush hers when he does. “I missed you,” he whispers. “More than anything.”

“I told you I’d come for you,” she tells him.

Baekhyun’s smile is breathtaking. “And I never doubted you.”

He kisses her again, softer now. He takes his time, cushioning her top lip, then her bottom before his tongue slides between them. Hyeran melts against Baekhyun, loosening her grip on him because he’s real. He’s _here_ , not some phantom who will slip through her fingers when she wakes.

His hands run lightly down her sides, skimming over her skin enough to leave shivers in the wake of his fingers. The blood rushes in her veins, and Hyeran leans into his touches, gasping when his hands slide around her back and then down, cradling her hips. She’s missed the way he holds her, touches her, like she’s precious and he wants to protect her. It doesn’t matter that she’s the stronger of the two, not when they’re alone together.

Hyeran pulls at him, falling back on the furs and bringing him with her. He fits between her legs so easily, his mouth indulgently soft as he leaves kisses down her neck. Baekhyun soon moves back to her mouth, and Hyeran holds his face in her hands.

“Will you claim me?” he questions, his voice trapped between them. His eyes are bright, burning into her own.

Hyeran feels her Alpha instincts rush to the surface, her thighs locking against Baekhyun’s sides to roll them over. There’s a satisfied grin on Baekhyun’s face, one she knows all too well. He’s gotten the exact reaction he wanted from her. Hyeran growls at him, curling her lip to show him the sharpness of her teeth.

He tips his head back in submission, and her eyes travel down the length of his neck to the unblemished skin of his shoulder. “ _Alpha_ ,” he purrs. “I’m yours.”

Hyeran slides her palms up his chest, bottom lip in her teeth as she drinks in the sight of him. He’s positively delectable and she’s been starving for so long. He could have easily been the one to claim _her_ first, but Baekhyun has always put Hyeran before himself. She adores him more than any other.

Baekhyun leans up, his palm cupping the back of her neck. She allows him to draw her in, a soft, teasing kiss left on the corner of her mouth before he guides her to his shoulder. She breathes him in, pressing a kiss close to his neck. He shudders beneath her, his hands now smoothing down to her hips again. The pants he wears - the only barrier between them - are rough on her bare skin.

Hyeran runs her teeth over the area, pleased when Baekhyun clutches her tighter. He gives her a soft noise of approval, his heart beating steady in his chest. Hyeran slips her fingers into his hair, holding tight to the strands to keep his head in place. She doesn’t want to hurt him.

Hyeran’s instincts take over. Her wolf surges forward, a snarl in her throat as her sharp teeth pierce through the skin of Baekhyun’s shoulder. He stiffens, but soon goes lax as she bites harder, eager to claim him as her own. The bond between them grows stronger, binding them tighter.

The wolf recedes slowly, and Hyeran releases Baekhyun, licking at the wound. Pride swells in her chest at the sight of it, at the sight of Baekhyun breathing heavily, staring up at her with desire in his eyes. He pulls Hyeran down, kissing her despite the taste of blood in her mouth. His hands run down her back, then under her. She raises to her knees as Baekhyun pulls at the strings on his pants to get them undone.

The moment Baekhyun is rid of his them, Hyeran sits on him again, this time skin to skin. Baekhyun groans, hard beneath her, and Hyeran rocks against him. He cups her cheek again, staring at her with such tenderness, such love. Being without him for so long has only made her ache for him more.

She moves her hips, a sharp gasp escaping her lips at the pleasure that follows. Baekhyun raises his hips and Hyeran tips forward, her mouth finding his. Her hair falls in a curtain around them, shielding them from the world. For this moment, there’s nothing else.

Hyeran aches for Baekhyun. She wants him inside her. She wants him to claim her.

Baekhyun raises to sit, staring up at her as she loops her arms around his neck. This time, when his hand drops down between them, it’s to guide himself into her. Her mouth drops open, head falling back as slowly, she sinks down onto him. His thumb brushes over her nipple and she clenches. They both moan unabashedly loud.

“Baekhyun,” she breathes, inhaling sharply as he fills her completely.

She rolls her hips and Baekhyun groans, face to her chest as she moves. His hands roam over her back, moving down and then up, slipping into her hair and out again, leaving heated trails over her skin. His scent will cling to her, blending with hers, and she craves it.

His lips brush over her breast, soon capturing her nipple between them. She stops for a moment, clenching around him. She can feel his smile, and it spurs her to begin again, moving faster. Sweat prickles along her skin, the air heating around them. Baekhyun looks wild, gorgeous when he stares up at her, his wolf pulsing in his eyes.

Hyeran’s nails dig into his back for more leverage as she moves faster, a little more desperately. There is no hurry other than the chase of Baekhyun’s touch and the way it makes her feel. Hyeran knows she is powerful, but she’s so much more than that when Baekhyun is with her. She is better. _They_ are better.

She gasps his name, head dropping to rest against his. She cups his jaw, thumb brushing over his lower lip. A low growl rumbles through Baekhyun before he takes her thumb between his teeth, holding it there. Hyeran moans, finally squeezing her eyes shut as she rides him harder, raising smooth and forcing herself down fast.

Baekhyun has a firm grip around her waist, helping her, guiding her as she falters. She’s so close. The pleasure mounts inside her, crawling through her limbs. She’s out of breath, her head beginning to spin. She has to pull her head away, letting it fall back. Her hair tickles along her back, and her eyes flutter open just as it hits.

Hyeran can see the moon. She clamps hard around Baekhyun, his name falling from her lips as she comes around him. He holds her as she jerks down over and over, riding it out until she’s spent. Only then does he move. He’s gentle, still hard inside her as he lays her back gently. Hyeran wraps her legs around him, eyes unfocused as he begins thrusting into her.

Baekhyun pushes his face to her neck, breathing her in as he chases his own climax. Hyeran turns her head, baring herself to him. She would never do this for anyone else. Baekhyun slides his fingers gently through her hair, his lips skimming over already sensitive skin. She whines, pulling in a sharp breath. She wants him to claim her.

Hyeran’s thighs tighten against Baekhyun’s hips, and she feels when he comes. She grabs his sides, content with the way he fills her, his hips pressed to hers as he throbs inside her. It’s only a moment later when she feels the scrape of his teeth. She tenses, waiting, but he doesn’t bite.

Baekhyun lifts, his eyes red and teeth bared. Hyeran attempts to sit, but he places a hand on her chest, keeping her down. Baekhyun slides back, pulling out of her, and still moving away. She’s filled with frustration over a half-formed claim, ready to demand to know what he’s doing.

Baekhyun runs his hands up her calves, fingers curled just beneath her knees to spread them wider. He’s staring down at her, and Hyeran stills, waits. She trusts him even if her wolf is unsatisfied.

Baekhyun leaves a kiss on the side of one knee, then the other. He leans down, mouth trailing up the inside of her left thigh. Hyeran’s toes curl, her bottom lip in her teeth as she watches. He looks into her eyes and Hyeran sees the sharpness of his teeth. She just barely realizes what he’s about to do when he does it.

Baekhyun bites into the flesh of her thigh, his hand holding her so she can’t jerk away. Hyeran’s breath is caught in her throat, a mix of pain and pleasure rushing through her veins. Their bond is solidifying, wrapping around them to tie them together for the rest of their lives. Hyeran feels it, feels _him_.

Baekhyun is gentle when he releases her, slowly lowering her leg as Hyeran struggles to catch her breath. His palms run up her sides as he crawls over her.

“Hyeran,” he whispers, his presence all around her.

She reaches for him, her fingers clumsy as they find a familiar place on his neck, pulling him closer. She kisses him, the happiness growing inside her until she can’t contain it. She smiles against his lips and he smiles with her. There are tears in her eyes, tears of joy, and Baekhyun wipes them away as he presses several more kisses to her lips.

Baekhyun takes her hand and holds it over his heart. “I’m yours, my Alpha. Now and forever.”

 

The morning is met with boisterous laughter as Chanyeol and Jongin pull Baekhyun down beside them to eat. They’ve crowded around one of the fires, wearing the clothing Yixing and his pack have so graciously given them. Hyeran is wearing the clothing too, mostly enjoying how her toes are staying warm and dry.

She would go over to the trio if Yixing hadn’t wanted to speak with her. When she looks at her fellow Alpha, she sees the lines of age beginning to spread from around his eyes. There’s even a streak of white beginning its way along the side of his head.

“The storm blocked all passes down the mountain,” he tells her, looking apologetic for the news. “It will be several days before it would be safe to travel.”

Hyeran sighs, glancing up at the sky. For most of the trip, there had been dark clouds looming overhead, but there’s not a cloud in the sky today. Only the sun.

“You know you’re welcome to stay,” Yixing adds.

“Thank you,” she tells him, “for everything.”

Yixing grins, ducking his head for a brief moment. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go drag my mate out of bed.”

Hyeran laughs as Yixing walks off. “Good luck,” she calls out to him. She breathes in the cold air and pushes it out, eyes lingering in the sky for just a moment before she begins walking toward the fire.

Baekhyun sees her and holds out the pelt he has wrapped around himself, letting Hyeran fit herself against his side as he wraps it around them both. Chanyeol and Jongin have one too, and Jongin is half asleep, Chanyeol’s fingers petting through his hair.

“We have a few days before we can leave,” she tells them. “I suggest resting while you can.”

Jongin seems pleased with that, nuzzling his face into Chanyeol’s neck as his eyes close. Chanyeol watches him, fondness written all over his face.

“It will be nice to go home,” Baekhyun murmurs, his arm sliding around her waist as he rests his head atop hers. “I’ve missed it.”

“It’s missed you too,” she hums.

“But staying here a few days more will be nice,” he adds. Baekhyun shifts enough to peer down at her, and there’s a darkness in his eyes. “Duty can’t take you from me here,” he breathes.

Hyeran feels warm, the pull of their bond letting her know exactly what Baekhyun’s feeling right now, and it drags her under. It’s Baekhyun who stands, bringing her with him. Chanyeol and Jongin don’t pay them any mind as the pair rush to Hyeran’s tent. The moment they’re inside, Baekhyun’s mouth is on hers.

Hyeran curves against him, letting him lead her anywhere he wants to take her. Now that she has him, she is never letting go. Never.


End file.
